Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
divya
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Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by divya »

Hi everyone,

I am new to this site and have been delighted to read through many of the wonderfully thoughtful and insightful discussions here. I am fairly new to Theravadan Buddhism but have been practicing meditation daily for several months. Although I'm young - 25 - I have back pain due to degeneration of my discs caused by running, dancing, and general hyper-flexibility, so sitting of any kind flares up my pain. I do a lot of strengthening and yoga and am confident at some point in the future I will be able to sit without intense pain. For now I've tried working in various ways with the pain while sitting but recently have taken up walking meditation, twice a day for 30 minutes, which I find much more suitable for my current physical condition. I am wondering if there are any good instructions out there for walking meditation, and what the potential limits and drawbacks are of walking vs. sitting. Is it possible to continue to deepen one's practice only with walking? I am near San Diego, CA and wonder if a visit to Ajahn Geoff's monastery might be beneficial to receive some guidance. I've never visited a Theravadan monastery before.

Thanks very much for any comments.

:anjali:
Divya
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Anagarika
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by Anagarika »

I posted this the other day on a separate topic; maybe this will be helpful to you, Divya :

Re: AN 5.29: Cankama Sutta — Walking

Postby BuddhaSoup » Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:34 pm

I may be slightly off topic but can't resist mentioning a fine book that I am reading now. It's focus is on walking meditation, and it goes inside the sutta based instructions, and goes outside the suttas to discuss walking meditation in its many practice forms. The author is a Tendai priest, who also trained earlier in his life in Sri Lanka. It's a good read for anyone with an interest in walking meditation:

http://walklikeamountain.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by Anagarika on Fri Jan 25, 2013 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kirk5a
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by kirk5a »

I recently happened upon this nice article - I haven't read it all yet, but it looks pretty good.

"Walking Meditation - Three Expositions on Walking Meditation"

http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh464-p.html# ... nPractices" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"When one thing is practiced & pursued, ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises, the conceit 'I am' is abandoned, latent tendencies are uprooted, fetters are abandoned. Which one thing? Mindfulness immersed in the body." -AN 1.230
karunametta
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by karunametta »

As far as instruction goes, here are some articles from the Thai forest tradition (the only instructions I could easily find):

Ajahn Mun: http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books/Ajahn_ ... tation.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ajahn Buddhadasa: http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books10/Bhik ... ide%20.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ajahn Nyanadhammo: http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Ajahn ... tation.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ajahn Liem: http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books11/Luan ... reness.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ajahn Brahm: (about halfway down the page) http://mettarefuge.wordpress.com/2010/0 ... editation/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can definitely continue to develop your practice doing only walking meditation. IMO, any meditation is better than no meditation. The only drawbacks I can think of would be slower progress or inability to enter jhanas (i believe?). I wouldn't worry about these, you can develop a great practice with walking meditation.

I would also highly recommend you give Ajahn Geoffrey and his monastery a visit. I also believe he is available for phone calls on Tuesdays at 6pm PST. If that's incorrect, someone please correct me!
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Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

By practising walking meditation alone one could gain the final goal. It was after practising walking meditation for the entire night that Venerable Ānanda gained Arahantship. Venerable Moggallāna practised walking meditation relentless for seven days and nights before gaining Arahantship while sitting.

If you alternate 30 minutes of walking meditation with 5 or 10 minutes of sitting (on a chair or whatever if that helps), you will be able to make good progress. Don't forget to practice mindfulness in all other daily activities too — eating, washing and shaving, etc.

The Benefits of Walking Meditation
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mikenz66
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by mikenz66 »

And see this thread:
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=15864" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:anjali:
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kirk5a
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by kirk5a »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:By practising walking meditation alone one could gain the final goal. It was after practising walking meditation for the entire night that Venerable Ānanda gained Arahantship. Venerable Moggallāna practised walking meditation relentless for seven days and nights before gaining Arahantship while sitting.

If you alternate 30 minutes of walking meditation with 5 or 10 minutes of sitting (on a chair or whatever if that helps), you will be able to make good progress. Don't forget to practice mindfulness in all other daily activities too — eating, washing and shaving, etc.

The Benefits of Walking Meditation
Thank you Bhante. This sounds refreshingly radical! (relative to the rather narrow view that practice=sitting, sitting and more sitting). I wonder if anyone runs a retreat like that?
"When one thing is practiced & pursued, ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises, the conceit 'I am' is abandoned, latent tendencies are uprooted, fetters are abandoned. Which one thing? Mindfulness immersed in the body." -AN 1.230
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mikenz66
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by mikenz66 »

The Mahasi-style retreats I am aware of are like that, so it's hardly a new or radical idea... I've always been instructed to balance my walking and sitting time.

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Mike
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tiltbillings
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by tiltbillings »

Doing walking practice, one can experience profound concentration and mindfulness. It is a great practice when sleepy, and it allows for considerable variation.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
divya
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by divya »

Hi everyone,

Thank you so, so much for all the wonderfully insightful comments and helpful links. Kirk5a, that is exactly the sort of guide I was looking for. At this point I just need a few general guidelines to get me started since I'm still quite new to this. BuddhaSoup, thanks for the link to the book; I will check it out when I'm looking for further guidance. Bhikkhu Pesala, thank you also for the link and your suggestion to do a brief sitting practice after walking. I tried that this evening and liked it very much, so from now I will sit for 5 minutes after walking.

I have found that walking, a bit more so than sitting even, helps me to maintain mindfulness of daily life activities, though at this point I can't get to states of mind as quiet and concentrated as I was able to when I could sit without pain. I'm glad to hear, though, that one can continue to progress even with walking as the main formal practice.

Karunametta, thank you for those articles. They're extremely helpful. As for visiting Ajahn Geoffrey's monastery, what can I expect if I go there? Since I can't sit without considerable pain -- even in a chair -- is it advisable to go for the day, or should I just go in the evening to speak with Ajahn Geoffrey? I've visited Deer Park but am not sure what to expect at a Theravadin monastery.

Thanks again, everyone.

:anjali:
Divya
Digity
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by Digity »

I think you should definitely stick to walking mediation. When the time comes and you're able to sit you'll be that much more prepared.
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Polar Bear
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by Polar Bear »

divya wrote: As for visiting Ajahn Geoffrey's monastery, what can I expect if I go there? Since I can't sit without considerable pain -- even in a chair -- is it advisable to go for the day, or should I just go in the evening to speak with Ajahn Geoffrey? I've visited Deer Park but am not sure what to expect at a Theravadin monastery.

Thanks again, everyone.

:anjali:
Divya
Hello Divya,

Wat Metta (where Ajahn Geoff lives) does have two group chanting and meditation sessions that last about an hour, one at around 5 am and the other at around 7 pm, other than that and work period you will have around 5 hours to find a walking meditation path where you can practice that if you decide to go for the day. I suppose you could speak with Than Geoff and tell him about your condition during question and answer time and see what he recommends and then you could just skip the chanting/meditation sessions at the Sala if you wanted to do that. Here is the schedule at Wat Metta:

Daily Schedule

5:30 ‒ 6:35 am

Morning Chanting and Group Meditation

6:45 ‒ 8:30 am

Morning Chore Period

8:30 am

Alms round at the Guest House

8:45 am

Offering the rest of the food to the monks at the Sala

9:00 am

Morning Chanting (Sundays include taking the Five Precepts)

9:30 am

Potluck meal for the laypeople.

10:00 ‒ 11:00 am

Cleanup Period

11:00 am ‒ 4:00 pm

Each visitor is assigned an individual sitting platform and walking path in the orchard, and is free to structure the time for walking, sitting, and resting as he/she sees fit.

4:00 ‒ 4:30 pm

Questions and Answers with Taan Ajaan Geoff about the Dhamma and meditation practice

4:30 ‒ 6:00 pm

Afternoon Chore Period

7:00 ‒ 8:20 pm

Evening Chanting
Dhamma Talk
Group Meditation

http://watmetta.org/visitor.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:namaste:
"I don't envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, leads to great benefit."

"I don't envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about such suffering & stress as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about suffering & stress."
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tiltbillings
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by tiltbillings »

divya wrote:Hi everyone, . . .Divya
Whatever you do, especially if you go to Wat Metta, let us know how it works. That is always of value to us here.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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marc108
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by marc108 »

divya wrote:H I am near San Diego, CA and wonder if a visit to Ajahn Geoff's monastery might be beneficial to receive some guidance. I've never visited a Theravadan monastery before.
If you live near Taan Geoff you should for sure visit and asking him questions. polarbuddhas advice is great, & you could also call and speak to him as well... he could give you advice over the phone then you could go over by yourself and get a walking path. you could also just stand in the back during the sitting/chanting & Dhamma talks.


http://watmetta.org/contact.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Telephone: 619-813-8461

The phone is turned off most of the day, but you are welcome to leave a voice-mail. The message inbox is reviewed at the end of each day, and we will return your call upon request. It is often helpful if you specify some times during the next day or two when you will be available to avoid phone tag. If you need to speak to a monk, incoming calls are answered between 5 and 6pm Pacific Time every evening, usually by Ajaan Geoff. If, during the calling hour, you still get the voice-mail recording, it means the phone is in use, so try again in ten minutes."
"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
divya
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Re: Walking meditation as foundation of formal practice?

Post by divya »

Thank you, marc and polarbuddha. I tried calling Ajahn Geoff this evening but as he wasn't available, I was advised to call back tomorrow. By the way, I feel a bit silly for asking, but I could use some clarification about the various naming systems in the Theravadin tradition. Why is he also called Thanissaro Bhikkhu, and what it is best to address him as?

:anjali:
Divya
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